WWE Raw vs. SmackDown: Analyzing Who Won the Week of Sept. 5

SmackDown Live was always going to have an uphill battle in front of it this week. Fresh off the shocking events of Aug. 29, when Triple H returned and assisted Kevin Owens in capturing the WWE Universal Championship, the Raw brand was riding a wave of momentum that fans were eager to see it capitalize on.

It was not always pretty, but the flagship show of WWE did just enough to keep fans interested.

Was it able to overcome a SmackDown, though, that introduced the wrestling world to a new and dangerous tag team threat while also laying the foundation for Sunday's Backlash pay-per-view?

Find out now with this revisiting of WWE television from the week of Sept. 5.

Match Quality

Raw dominated SmackDown this week in terms of in-ring product.

The night kicked off with Bayley vs. Charlotte, improved with a stellar Seth Rollins vs. Chris Jericho match and culminated with another strong offering from Owens and friend-turned-rival Sami Zayn.

The Rollins-Jericho match was particularly strong and gave Rollins the opportunity to showcase a babyface style that WWE fans are not necessarily familiar with. He soared through the air more than once and fought from underneath, and fans proved they are willing to embrace him in that role with their reaction to his performance.

1. Seth Rollins vs. Chris Jericho	Raw
2. Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens	Raw
3. Bayley vs. Charlotte	Raw
4. Apollo Crews vs. The Miz	SmackDown Live

SmackDown answered with a show devoid of any great matches to speak of. With Backlash just five days away and only two hours to work with, the show was focused more on angles and storytelling than the in-ring product.

That is not necessarily a bad thing, but it will not win the brand this category in any week.

Winner: Raw

Creative Direction

Raw faltered hard Monday night, failing to deliver the followup to the previous week's most talked-about angle. Triple H did not appear, we never found out his motivations for turning on Rollins and the foundation of the Rollins-Owens program was lackluster, to say the least.

Even the start of the Roman Reigns-Chris Jericho feud lacked substance.

The most interesting story to come out of Raw was the suggested Stephanie McMahon babyface turn, which saw Mick Foley prop her up a week after she was embarrassed by her own husband and had her authority questioned by her employees and fans alike.

SmackDown, on the other hand, saw a focused creative effort.

Every match on Sunday's Backlash card was addressed with precision. Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles had their final showdown. The Usos made a long-awaited heel turn, brutalizing American Alpha and taking it out of the tag team tournament.

Carmella continued to one-up Nikki Bella, and Dolph Ziggler got the last laugh on The Miz ahead of their Intercontinental Championship match.

From the beginning, SmackDown has been a show that has been more focused creatively. It wins this one easily this week.

Winner: SmackDown

Booking Decisions

One of the best booking decisions of the entire week was the portrayal of Cesaro on Monday night.

The Swiss Superman has lacked a character that fans can invest in emotionally for a long time. The way he was booked in Monday's match of the best-of-seven series against Sheamus, though, may have provided the foundation for that character.

Beaten, battered, bruised and injured from an attack a week earlier, he was in no shape to fight Monday. Yet he did. He fought, refused to give up and, even in losing to a Brogue Kick, came out of the bout with the respect of the fans.

As a result of the loss, he finds himself in a 3-0 hole and in danger of being swept. It will take incredible guts and determination to avoid that humiliation, and therein lies the foundation for his character. He can be the relentless worker who overcomes the odds and earns the respect of his peers and fans.

And he does not have to have a neon T-shirt to do so.

The decision to present Rollins in a babyface light was the right one, especially given the reactions he has garnered since his return. 

SmackDown's use of Styles and Ambrose in the main event promo segment was far from effective, and the lack of excitement coming out of the show, with a pay-per-view just days away, suggests the booking decisions made by management were not strong enough to elicit any sort of anticipation for the event.

Winner: Raw

Winner

Raw picks up the victory this week almost by default. Sure, the in-ring work was better, but that has been the case from the beginning. The booking decisions were strong, but there were too few, given the three-hour run time. Instead, the red brand picks up the victory based almost solely on the lackluster episode of SmackDown that opposed it.

The blue brand needed a blow-away show to convince fans that Backlash was worth tuning into. Unfortunately, that was not what the brand delivered. It was a steady show, but it was one that disappointed in terms of overall quality.

Not at all the way to inspire excitement or win this weekly competition.

Scorecard

SmackDown: 3, Raw: 2